The present invention is drawn generally to the field of holders for paper, plastic, foil or other goods. More specifically, the present invention is drawn to the field of dispensers for paper, plastic, foil or other goods that are supplied as sheets on rolls.
A number of household paper, plastic and foil goods in common use are supplied as continuous sheets on rolls or tubes. The most common examples of these are paper towels, toilet paper, plastic wrap and aluminum foil. In a number of cases the sheets are perforated at regular intervals to allow an individual to select a desired quantity of material and easily separate it from the roll. Dispensing of these materials is made even easier by a variety of dispensing devices that are used to mount the roll or tube on dowel or rod to allow easy unraveling of the sheets from the roll. A drawback of most dispensers is that because the roll of product is allowed to rotate freely, the force required to separate individual sheets from the roll frequently results in excess material being unraveled from the roll.
It would be desirable to provide a dispenser for rolled paper, plastic, foil or other products that eliminates these drawbacks. Such a device would be adaptable to various types of paper, plastic, foil and other goods that are supplied on rolls.
The present invention provides a novel rotation mechanism for use with a dispenser for paper, plastic, foil and other goods that are supplied on rolls or tubes as perforated or un-perforated sheets. The present invention further provides several embodiments of a dispenser for such products that incorporate the novel rotation mechanism of the current invention. One embodiment of the dispenser comprises a rod and a base for supporting a roll of material to be dispensed. A rotation mechanism located on the rod includes a spinner that is disposed on and rotatable about a sleeve affixed to the rod. A stationary friction disc disposed below the spinner supplies resistance to the rotation of the spinner and hence the roll on which the goods are supplied. While allowing rotation of the spinner to dispense the paper, plastic, foil, or other goods from the roll, the friction disc prevents the material from unraveling from the roll when a desired quantity is torn from the roll. The roll is maintained in mechanical contact with the spinner by a plurality of flexible bowing wires extending from the spinner to a cap located on the rod toward the end of the rod opposite the spinner. A preferred embodiment of the invention is designed for use with rolled paper products such as paper towels, toilet paper, etc.
In an alternate embodiment, the spinner is sized and configured to closely engage the inner surface of the tube or roll on which the goods are supplied, and the wires are not present.